CLASSIFICATION OF PSITTACULA EUPARIA (ROSE RINGED PARAKEET)
PHYLUM :- CHORDATA (Notochord, dorsal tubular nerve cord present and gill slits present )
Group :- CRANIATA ( Definite head. Cranium with brain present )
Sub-phylum :- VERTEBRATA ( vertebral column present)
Division :- GNATHOSTOMATA ( Jaws and paired appendages present )
Super class :- TETRAPODA ( Paired limbs, lungs, bony skeleton and cornified skin)
Class :- AVES ( Biped and feathered vertebrates ).
Sub-class :- NEORNITHES ( True birds. Metacarpels fused )
Super Order :- NEOGNATHAE ( Modern birds, no teeth, sternum keeled).
Order :- PSITTACIFORMES ( Beaks stout, narrow, sharp-edged and hooked ).
Genus : Psittacula
Species :- euparia
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
- Parrot is found in India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and USA.
HABIT AND HABITAT
- It is found on tall trees in flocks in city as well as in villages. It is commonly found in the fruit trees, ripe crops and in jungles. Gregarious with loud voices. Feeds on fruits and crops.
GENERAL CHARACTERSTICS OF PSITTACULA EUPARIA (ROSE RINGED PARAKEET)
- Commonly called Indian parakeet or parrot. Its Hindi name is Hiraman tota .
- It has brilliant blue-green plumage with massive, deeply-hooked red bill and a distinct maroon patch on each shoulder, P. krameri has no shoulder patches, while P. cyanocephala has a bluish-red head and maroon shoulder patches.
- Body is divisible into head, neck, back, breast and abdomen. Head contains paired eyes, nostril and homy beaks.
- Beak stout, narrow, sharp edged and hooked at the tip and adapted for fruit eating.
- Upper mandible movable on frontal bone of skull. It is so articulated that its lowering automatically raises the upper beak, which is curved at the tip adapted for grasping, holding and climbing. Foot zygodactylous in which I and IV digits are directed backwards and II and III forward to provide a firm grip on the branch of the tree.
- Tail feathers elongated. Maroon patches on wing feathers.
- Flight is graceful voice powerful.
- Female is green all over, but the male has a rose pink and black neck collar ring.
- Nesting season December to April.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Parakeet is a popular domesticated cage bird, found almost in every home and it copies and speaks some words like man. It is a serious agricultural pest to the cultivators and food growers. It causes enormous harm to standing crops and ripening orchard fruits. It eats maize, pulse, groundnuts and sometimes does considerable damage in newly sown fields. Its voice is sharp, well familiar and screaming kee-ak, kee-ak, kee-ak, kee-ak.
IDENTIFICATION
This bird has green plumage and all above features, hence it is Psittacula eupatria or Parakeet.
